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Incredible Edibles!!

This page is dedicated to all things food! Here you can find delicious recipes, yummy restaurant/food suggestions and, dare I say, our best and most calorie/sugar enriched dessert favorites. This page is mainly written by our lovely Sarah.

Cake Mix Cookies

It is that time of year again. The snow is falling as we speak and we can smell the aroma of cookies in the air. I made these cookies for a party my mother and I are hosting in about 30 minutes, and Sarah and I are sitting, blogging and preparing to party. This recipe takes about 30 seconds, well not really, but not much time. These cookies are versatile and can be made with any flavor cake mix and cool whip and boy, are they fun to make!

Directions:Mix all together and refrigerate for one hour Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and also spray a cookie scoop (or spoons)spoon golf ball sized balls and roll in powdered sugar (if it sticks to your hands, spray your hands with cooking spray)Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes (depending on altitude)

Enjoy!!

Chewy Molasses Crinkles

The last two days have officially been awesome. No seriously. because guess what?? NO SCHOOL!!! I do realize it is only October, but it is never predictable what Mother Nature will decide to do with the weather in Colorado and this year it's snowing. It is snowing right now and it has been for the past 36 hours straight. We have at least 2 feet if not more. This translates to staying indoors procrastinating on extra credit projects I should probably be working on. I don't think I've ever done less in 2 days than I have lately. Oh well. I have, however, done a substantial amount of baking, including these delicious little wonders. They are chewy, spicy, and absolutely wonderful. Yet again, they come from my favorite cookbook, The Martha Stewart Cookie Book. The dough is curiously sticky and slightly difficult to deal with but it is not horrible. oh, and the cookies spread A LOT, so you may want to keep that in mind.

1. Put butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by molasses and oil.2. Reduce speed to low, gradually mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and coarse salt. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight. 3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll dough in 1 3/4 inch balls and roll them in the sugar. Space three inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are flat and their centers are set, about seventeen minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

I have to say that one of my favoritest foods ever is squash. It's just rather delicious. especially the butternut variety. It is October, which means that squash is in season and even more delectable than usual. One of my family's traditions is to make butternut squash soup whenever the weather starts getting yucky and horrible as it has been doing lately and this year was no exception. I can't post he recipe, unfortunately, because the "chef" (my mom) is currently unavailable and I do not have any idea what recipe she used. I will post it soon once she returns. Happy October!

Wild Ginger

So, today, October 9, marks a new chapter in the short life of the food section: the first restaurant review. Do not judge me, I am new at this!

So to commemorate the first review, I chose a cuisine that is one of my favorites, if not my favorite: Thai. So, I chose Wild Ginger. This is a family run restaurant that is utterly delicious. I love the atmosphere and the people who run it are really nice, especially the lady who take the delivery orders behind the counter. She is really sweet! This past Wednesday, my family took the trip to the restaurant. Overall, it was a pretty awesome meal for me!I ordered Pad Mea Krow, or more commonly known as drunken noodles. I had never had them before, but I do have to say that they were pretty delicious. Warm with just the right amount of spice. The dish was made with wide noodles, which, oddly, made a difference. Textural, maybe. The only complaint I would make was that it was a tad too greasy for my liking, but that did not dampen my thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Wild Ginger399 West Littleton BlvdLittleton, CO 80120303-794-1115

--Sarah--

Roasting Pumpkins

Aaaahhh.....It's that time of year again. The time when the trees are changing colors and the air is slowly getting cooler. That's right, it's officially fall. Now, the only season I really enjoy is summer because it's warm (I hate the cold). But, however, my favorite season to eat is fall. The spices are plentiful and the food is the stick-to-your-ribs kind of fare, my favorite. Since, unfortunately, I do not have the power to change the weather, I decided to make the best of it today and kick the season off royally. With pumpkin. Freshly roasted pumpkin. You can't even begin to imagine the magnificent smells that were wafting through the house all afternoon.

So, I didn't really use a recipe for this. All you have to do is cut the pumpkin, or pumpkins, in two and scoop out the seeds. Remember to save the seeds for roasting later. Place the pieces cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes at 425 or until tender. Then scoop out the flesh and puree it. This can be frozen or used immediately.--Sarah--

Latkes!

Now, if you are Jewish you will know that this saturday was Rosh Hashanah, the new year. I, personally, am half Jewish on my mother's side. We are not very religious and therefor the only two Jewish holidays we celebrate are Channukah and Passover...and sometimes Purim. But hardly ever Rosh Hashanah. This year was no exception. We almost completely forgot about it, except for that, on Sunday, my sister Becky suddenly came up with the idea that she wanted latkes for dinner. Latkes are a traditional potato pancake with carrots and they are usually eaten in my family with sour cream and applesauce (my personal favorite). They are typically made for Channukah, but considering we are not strict, we decided that we can have them any time we want. This year we pretended they were for Rosh Hashanah. :)

1. Place the grated potatoes and onion in a colander set over a bowl, and press the vegetables to squeeze out the excess liquid. Let the vegetables stand for about five minutes, and press them again. Pour off the liquid, but leave in the any starch that may have collected in the bottom. 2. Add the potato mixture to the bowl along with the milk, carrot, and beaten egg white, and the whole egg. flour or matzo meal, salt, and pepper. Stir the ingredients to combine them thoroughly.3. In a large, heavy skillet or nonstick pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. Using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, fry the pancakes a few at a time, turning them when they are golden brown on the bottom. As the pancakes cook, ste them on paper towels, preferably laid over a rack, and keep them warm in a preheated very low oven.--Sarah--

My Great-Grandmother's Kahlua Cheesecake

This looks nothing like the cheesecake but I had no pictures :)

My mom's birthday was this weekend...and it was a big one. The big five-oh. So, of course, I had to make a special cake for the occasion!! Personally, I was looking forward to making a magnificent layer cake with mounds of frosting and decorations. Unfortunately, it wasn't my birthday, so I was obligated to actually ask the birthday girl what she wanted. She replied immediately that she wanted her grandma's kahlua cheesecake. I don't know why I was surprised since I must have known somewhere in the back of my mind that that is her all-time favorite cake. Ever. This concoction might just be the most rich, decadent thing you ever taste, but completely delicious (and yes, kahlua is liquor). Especially the sour cream topping...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Now, be appreciative. My mom explicitly gave her permission to have the top secret recipe unveiled online, so make the most of it.

1. Combine 1 package of cream cheese with the sugar until creamy.2. Add eggs one at a time.3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 4. Pour into shell and bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until set.

Topping8 oz. sour cream2 tbsp. sugar1 tbsp. vanilla

Combine and spread over hot cheesecake. Bake at 425 for 7 minutes.

Cool and chill for at least eight hours.

--Sarah--

Peach Pie and Canning Chiles

As it's Labor Day weekend, naturally my mother decided to drag the entire family down to Pagosa Springs for a weekend of sitting around and doing nothing. On the upside, however, I do get to do a lot of baking. Since my mom's fiftieth birthday is next Friday, I decided to make her a pie. A peach pie. yuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmm. It's in the oven as we speak. Another highlight of the weekend was peeling mounds and mounds and mounds of roasted chiles to can. I love that smell. Just don't rub your eyes after you do that....trust me.

--Sarah--

Butter Twists

I seriously love Martha Stewart. Not as in "I love you" but as in, her cookies are delicious!!! My favorite cookbook that Iown is Martha Stewart's Cookies and I made these butter cookies that were so delicious that I had to hide them. From myself. And my sister. And my mother. Oh well they're almost gone but I can always make them again some other time. By the way, (I know this has nothing to do with cooking) I went shopping with my favorite person yesterday and GUESS WHAT??!!! I found the cutest dress ever that just happened to be Juicy Couture and $35.00. OH MY GOD! It also has pockets which I think makes it even better. I will post a picture if I can figure why my stupid camera isn't working. Enjoy these cookies! (This picture belongs to Martha Stewart.com)

--Sarah--

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter , softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg white

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in vanilla and egg white. Reduce speed to low. Add salt and flour; mix until combined.

Bake, rotating halfway through, until cookies just begin to turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Gazelles' Horns

Look at that delicousness!

I love baking. And I mean LOVE it. My mother likes to get mad at however because usually the things I bake tend to end up in her stomach instead of mine. (I secretly think she enjoys it). Yesterday we made a quick fifteen minute stop at the library (which I assure you has never happened before) and I spotted this cookbook in the new books section at the front. It had the word PASTRY splashed across the cover in a very alluring way. I think you can guess this next part-I checked it out. on the way home I lost myself in the gorgeous, humongous pictures. This recipe for a Moroccan confection called Gazelles' Horns caught my eye and this morning I discovered that actually had everything required to bake these beautiful almond-paste-filled pockets. They are delicious! I made a few adjustments because I unfortunately had no orange-flower water (?) on hand. Oh, and I ACCIDENTALLY forgot to add the two egg yolks to the filling, but they still turned out fairly scrumptious. Excuse the pictures, we do not own a great camera and I am definitely not a photographer.

1 Mix the ground almonds, cinnamon, powdered sugar, melted butter, and egg yolks to a bowl to make a smooth paste.2 To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the meted butter, orange flower water, and 3/4 of the egg. Stir in water to make smooth dough. Roll out thinly and cut into 3 inch strips.3 Preheat oven to 350 degree. Roll small pieces of filling into thin sausages, about 3 inches long. Line along one side of a pastry strip and fold over, pinching to secure sides. 4 Using a pastry wheel, cut around each sausage to make a crescent. Prick with a fork and brush with egg yolk. Bake on a baking sheet for 12-16 minutes.

--Sarah--

This is what the were supposed to look like.

pretty almonds

Filling!!

Jen's Orange Julius

Okay okay, I know this is mainly Sarah's page but I have to say, this is the most amazing recipe. I got this recipe from my cooking teacher. We made these for a meeting for the incoming freshman at the school. They taste like the real thing!! Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake Bites

I have a theory. I think that chocolate cures all the bad things in the world-murder, test failure, breaking up, everything.And if chocolate cures everything (which I am fairly certain it does) then these cake bites are the ultimate medicine. They perfectly fulfill the requirements of "calorie and sugar laden" but who doesn't need some of that every once in a while? The other wonderful thing about these bites of heaven is that they are variable-I mean you could possibly make white chocolate cake bites or say, butterscotch bites-but I'd stick to the chocolate if I were you.

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make ganache: Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

Make cake bites:

After the cake has cooled completely, crumble half the cake into a large bowl (you may have to do this twice). Pour 3/4 cup of ganache into cake and mix until it forms a sticky dough. Form into balls and freeze until hard. May dip into chocolate and toppings if desires.

-Sarah

Julie's Organic Blackberry Sorbet Bars

They're amazing! That pretty much raps it up! Ever since I turned 8, I have been on the search for the perfect popsicle. Well thanks to my friend (and a little place I like to call King Soopers) I have found it! This popsicle is everything good in life. It's creamy, soft, fruity and has that "melt in your mouth" taste. I can't even explain how great these tiny little pieces of frozen fruit are!! The plus of these delicious treats is that they are hardly filling. You can eat them as a snack and not even feel guilty one bit at all because they are only 60 calories a bar. How great- right??? Well, All in all, you should go out and by yourselves a box of Julie's bars. Take my word for it. They are the best!!